FORTVILLE — Ten years after the inception of Hancock County’s comprehensive no-smoking ordinance, one area business owner is hoping the county commissioners will consider an exemption from the ban.
Larry Harnish is the owner of Maduro on Main, a cigar shop in downtown Fortville. When he opened the business in March, Harnish said, he wasn’t bothered by the fact that Hancock County had a ban on smoking in public places. He considered locations in nearby counties like Marion and Hamilton, but he liked the Fortville area and the rent was less expensive.
However, after opening his store, Harnish said he began receiving feedback from customers that they would appreciate a place in the business to smoke cigars.
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Harnish said he is a fan of Hancock County’s non-smoking ordinance and appreciates that local bars and other businesses are free of smoke. He believes, however, that an exception for businesses that primarily sell tobacco products would make sense.
“I agree with 99 percent of (the ordinance),” he said.
A smoking lounge at Maduro on Main, Harnish said, would allow only cigars — no other tobacco products — and would have a separate ventilation system that would frequently exchange air to prevent Harnish’s fellow retail tenants in the building from coming into contact with any secondhand smoke.
Brad Armstrong had just taken office as a county commissioner when the non-smoking ordinance took effect in 2009. Armstrong said he originally thought the ordinance was too restrictive, but in the years since, he has seen significant benefits to the health of county residents.
Armstrong said he has not yet formed an opinion on Harnish’s proposal but that the county will likely hold a hearing to seek public feedback on the issue within the next month.
“We’ll take testimony from both sides and see what’s best for the community,” he said.
The commissioners will keep the public health mission of the original ordinance in mind, Armstrong said.
“The result you want is to protect people from secondhand smoke,” he said.
Harnish said he plans to remain in Hancock County no matter what the commissioners decide.
“It’s not going to put me out of business if I don’t have a smoking lounge,” he said. “I’m just asking for the customers that ask me.”
